After climbing loads of steps on my first day in Grenoble I took a more leisurely approach to day two. I headed to a few museums including a very interesting one about the French Resistance in that area which was rather somber but well worth a visit. I also headed to a few more churches and museums while taking in all the sights.

I'm currently enjoying a bit of downtime in my friends apartment in Grenoble before heading out to Lyon later today so I thought I would share some photos from my first day in France. My friend Meg is currently living and working here so I'm visiting with another friend Emma. I'm very lucky to have friends all over the UK and the rest of the world which means I get to visit a lot of exciting places.

We initially set out to hitch a rid on the pods to the top of the Bastille to take in the views of Grenoble and the alps but they were out of order. We had to clamber up 3km of steep steps and ramps to get to the top but I think you will agree the views were worth it.

I'm off to enjoy the rest of my trip now.

I bought my old hair dryer because it was cheap and I liked the colour which resulted in me spending forever trying to dry my hair and ending up with a slightly frizzy result. I've got naturally wavy, thick and coarse hair so I was looking forward to trying out the ghd air which promises 'gorgeous hair in half the time' 

1. The first step is to spray your towel dried hair with heat protector spray
2. Roughly dry hair until it's about 70% dry
3. Blow dry hair with brush
4. Pin top section of hair up and curl the bottom with either straighteners or a wand styler. If you're using straighteners take a small section of hair and place the straighteners towards the root of your hair. With your other hand, wrap the section of hair once around the iron and slowly drag the iron through your hair.
5. Continue to curl all of your hair from the bottom to the stop
6. Run your fingers through the curls to break them up for a more natural look and apply plenty of hairspray so the curls don't drop. 

I had great fun compiling Part 1 a few days ago and even more fun compiling Part 2. I'm amazed at how much I've crammed in since starting a full time job in January this year. Even though I'm a little exhausted at times I think all my train journeys and hours on the road are worth it. I've had such a fantastic time this year and I've already booked a few trips for 2014 so it's shaping up to be another good year.

July

August

September

October

October saw me visit a few cities in the UK. I went to Birmingham to see Suede with Claire which I thoroughly enjoyed as they are one of my favourite bands. I went to the AX Paris party in London and a trip to the Wallace Collection. I also stayed a little closer to home and took some time off to look after Sookie when my mum was on holiday and took her for lots of walks in the surrounding countryside.

November

December

I would have to say the highlights of my year were my trip to Norbury, a long weekend in Amsterdam and meeting Martyn (I know, so gross and soppy). I hope you all had a lovely 2013 but I hope 2014 is even better!